In early September Nintendo announced Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit – an unusual fusion of traditional and AR games for family consoles Switch… Recently there was a closed presentation of the novelty, which was attended by the portal GameMAG.ru… We were able to find out new details and received answers to important questions.
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is a new experimental take on the Mario Kart series, combining traditional console gameplay with real-life racing. A special feature is the ability to organize a track with your own hands right on the floor at home, and then launch a toy kart along it, controlled directly from the Switch via the console or TV screen.
Nintendo will launch two Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit kits on October 16. The first includes a toy go-kart with Mario, and the second with Luigi.
Each set also contains checkpoint gates (4), direction indicators (2) that you can optionally place on your home track, and a USB Type-C charging cable for refueling the car. The game itself is downloaded from the digital store eShop is free.
In the “World of Nintendo” store sets are available at a price of 9.999 rubles…
During the presentation, we were interested in whether Nintendo is preparing additional sets of Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit with other characters and karts, but we were explained that at the moment there is no information on this.
A toy go-kart equipped with a camera communicates with the Switch and the game via a QR code that is displayed on the console screen during setup. Then the system offers a little practice – driving a real car, after which you can also take a selfie to create a driver card.
Next, the player must collect and place control points in the form of gates along the route of the proposed route in his room. Here, the developers allow you to be creative – the course can be of any shape, and it is really possible to diversify it with the help of various real objects, such as cubes, cardboard boxes, soft toys and much more. They will be read by the game as obstacles and will further diversify the gameplay. When asked if children or pets passing by would interfere with the game, Nintendo noted that they can also be perceived as game interference that can introduce a little randomness into the race.
We also clarified that for races it is always necessary to have a track with four gates – you will not be able to use more or less, but the length of the route can be chosen arbitrarily, although it is limited by the room within reasonable limits. Please note that Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is focused on using at home, and not on the street, where the track is simply at risk of being damaged, for example, by wind or rain.
The comfortable coverage area between the console and the clipper is about five meters and, of course, depends on the environment.
After you create a track in reality, the system should read it. Lakitu will appear on the console or TV screen and paint the wheels of a digital copy of your real karting with special paint, and then offer to ride through the gates installed around the room to transfer the track into virtual space.
Then the traditional Mario Kart begins, only in the scenery of your home – the path is filmed by a camera mounted on a typewriter.
It should be noted right away that the game supports local multiplayer for up to four people. Each rider must have a Nintendo Switch console, a free copy of the game, and go-kart… One user becomes the main user, and the rest join him. Accordingly, up to four real go-karts can drive along the track you created. If you do not have friends and relatives with their sets, then your machine will wind circles around the room alone – you have to fight for the championship in races with virtual opponents.
Directly on your screen you will see a virtual copy of your go-kart with Mario or Luigi (depending on the set purchased), digital rivals and various special effects based on the situation. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit also has items that are unique to the series, and the developers have made sure that their use is reflected in real karting.
For example, if you use the acceleration mushroom, then the go-kart and its virtual copy will go faster, and if you are attacked with a red shell, the car will slow down. Also from virtual influences we were shown a sandstorm, blowing away the hero like a wind, and a Piranha Plant, traditionally trying to “eat” the race participants. Looks good.
The developers did not forget about such elements as the slippery banana peel, ink-spitting Bloopers and the bullet Bill. The latter makes you go karting fast on autopilot.
{GALLERY}
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit looks very nice – the graphics are bright and juicy. The display shows the location during the race, the number of laps, the quality of communication with the console and even the battery charge of the car.
The game offers several modes, the main of which is The Grand Prix… Here players will face virtual Kupalingings led by Bowser Jr. in eight competitions with 24 different heats.
For added variety, the authors have added themes of the racing world, among which there are water, volcano and retro. They change the picture and open up additional dangers and opportunities that affect karting both digitally and in reality. In particular, we saw gumballs obstructing the movement, ice blocks, accelerating rings and even a volcano erupting at the gates, shelling the route with fireballs.
Time Tests – This is the usual timed high score mode, allowing you to compete with a ghost (recording your previous best run). You can also use it as a multiplayer mode in case you only have one map available. For example, one player creates and drives the track first, and the second will try to break the record of the previous driver.
The next mode is called Custom Race – here you can diversify the virtual track using your imagination and the available customization elements on the gate, in addition to the already mentioned sandstorm or Piranha Plants. Electric balls, rotating fire sticks, falling stone blocks, magnets, item boxes (there are also double ones), P-Switch, boosters and much more are available to choose from.
Finally there is Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit Mirror mode, where for fans of the most difficult challenges, competitions from the Grand Prix are offered in a mirror image – turns to the right will direct to the left, and familiar things will start to look different.
As in previous installments of the series, speed options are available in Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit – 50cc or 100cc. You can also open faster modes – at 150ss or even 200ss. The speed of the card is very different when comparing 50cc and 150cc.
Coins are scattered on the tracks. Judging by the videos shown to us, you can collect a maximum of 20 coins in one run. The savings allow you to unlock new virtual go-karts, character costumes and horns. Maps were shown in the form of a ship and an excavator, and Mario appeared on the screen not only in a classic suit, but also as a cowboy, a builder and even a knight.
We also noticed that the drifting system has not disappeared anywhere – as before, the longer you drift, the more boost you get after completing the maneuver. There are three levels of boosts available, just like in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or Mario Kart Tour. The turbo start, allowing you to start the race with acceleration, seems to be in place too. Series veterans will hear many familiar music tracks from older parts.
It also turned out that the player will be available to help manage the kart (Assist Steering). Obviously, it can be useful for young children or newcomers to Mario Kart games.
And Mario Kart wouldn’t be himself if it didn’t allow shortcuts. You can cut turns or even go beyond the boundaries of the tracks, but on one condition – you cannot miss two gates in a row. In this case, the game will not count the completed lap. Therefore, you need to carefully choose where and how to overtake your rivals.
Of course, we asked a question about the presence of the Russian language in the game, and we were informed that there was no translation. It remains to be hoped that localization will be added after the release of the game.
The question about the average operating time of the card from one charge remained without a definite answer, but we hope that the machine will be able to last at least two hours without recharging.
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is a very fun game that masterfully combines the real and virtual worlds and allows you to arrange crazy and varied races right at home. It’s funny to see yourself playing on the couch, practically with the “eyes” of Mario or Luigi, and roll under the table or under the bed.
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, developed by Nintendo in collaboration with Velan Studios, is out in Russia on October 16, 2023…
Material prepared by: Andrey Pleskonosov (Gauwoof) and Denis Korolev (SkyerIst).
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